Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 10450

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: When the Haruriyyah withdrew and separated themselves, I said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Commander of the Believers, delay the prayer a little so that I may go to these people and speak with them." Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I fear that they may harm you." I said: "If Allah wills, that will not happen." Then I put on the finest Yemeni garment I had and went to those people. At that time, in the middle of the day, they were taking their midday rest. I came to those people, and I have never seen such hard-striving people. Their hands were like the hardened calluses of camels, and on their faces were the marks of prostration. When I entered, they said: "Welcome to you, O Ibn Abbas. What has brought you?" Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "I have come to talk with you about the Companions of the Messenger of Allah. The revelation came down, and they know its meaning best." Some of them said: "Do not talk with him," and some said: "We will certainly talk with him." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I said: "Tell me what objection you have against the cousin and son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah, who was the first to believe in him, while the Companions of the Messenger of Allah are also with him?" They said: "We have three objections against him." I asked: "What are they?" They said: "The first is that he appointed men as arbitrators in the religion of Allah, whereas Allah Almighty has said: 'Judgement belongs only to Allah.'" I asked: "And what else?" They said: "He fought, but he did not take the enemy captive nor count their property as spoils. If the people of the other side were disbelievers, then their wealth should also have been lawful; and if they were believers, then their blood should also have been unlawful for him." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I asked: "And what other objection?" They said: "Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) erased the title 'Commander of the Believers' from himself. If he is not the Commander of the Believers, then he must be the commander of the disbelievers." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I said: "What is your view: if I recite to you verses of the decisive Book of Allah and narrate to you the Sunnah of your Prophet which you cannot deny, will you turn back?" They replied: "Yes." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: I said: "As for your saying that he appointed men as arbitrators in the religion of Allah, Allah Almighty has said: 'O you who believe, do not kill game while you are in the state of ihram,' up to: 'two just men among you shall judge it.' Likewise Allah Almighty has said concerning a woman and her husband: 'If you fear a breach between the two of them, then send an arbitrator from the man's family and an arbitrator from the woman's family.'" (Then Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:) "I adjure you by Allah and ask you: is appointing men as arbitrators concerning people's lives and blood, so that there may be betterment among people, more deserving, or is appointing an arbitrator concerning a rabbit whose price is a quarter of a dirham more deserving?" The people said: "Allah knows that protecting people's lives and making peace between them is more deserving." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "Have I answered this objection?" They said: "Allah knows, yes." (Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:) "As for your saying that he killed but did not take captives nor treat the property as spoils: would you take your mother captive, or would you regard as lawful with regard to her what you regard as lawful with regard to other women? If you do so, you will have committed disbelief; and if you claim that she is not your mother, then too you will have committed disbelief and will have left Islam, because Allah Almighty has said: 'The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and the wives of the Prophet are their mothers.' So you will be tumbling between two kinds of misguidance; choose whichever of the two you wish. Have I answered this objection?" They said: "Allah knows, yes." (Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:) "As for your saying that he had the title 'Commander of the Believers' erased for himself: on the occasion of Hudaybiyah the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) invited Quraysh to have an agreement written between him and them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Write that this is the agreement which Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the Messenger of Allah, is making.' The polytheists said: 'By Allah, if we knew that you were the Messenger of Allah, we would not have stopped you from going to the House, nor would we have fought you; rather write: Muhammad bin Abdullah (is making this agreement).' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'By Allah, I am the Messenger of Allah, even if you deny me. O Ali, write: Muhammad bin Abdullah.'" (Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) asked:) "Was the Messenger of Allah not more excellent than Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)? Have I answered this objection as well?" Those people said: "Allah knows, yes." The narrator says: So twenty thousand of them turned back, and four thousand remained upon their way, and then they were killed.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and Ahmad recorded part of it. The narrators of both are the narrators of the Sahih.